How Green Becomes Wood

"I think they pushed her onto shore each night, but she spent most days swimming with them," Dark said slowly, trying to recall a book he had read many decades ago, "I know the was discovered early into the book, and she had been brought to try to be rehabilitated, and she lived with other children who also had been raised by animals. I think one was a girl raised by rabbits, somehow. They had me read it because the book began using very rudimentary English, but then as it progressed, and the girl learned more about being a human, it was written in more natural and eloquent ways. It ended with her returning to the dolphins, I remember being annoyed about it."

"Oh, I can tell!" Daizi said brightly, nuzzling her cheek against Ivy's, who was still trying to see the dolphins, "And how about you? Are you glad we came out here?"
 
Xander nodded, thinking it sounded like a stupid book. "Why were you annoyed?" He asked. "Because she returned to the dolphins, or because you had to read it?"

"Yes!" Alec crowed. "This was the best! Well, almost the best. It was fabulous! I loved it all!"
 
"Because she returned to the dolphins. I thought it was an unsatisfying ending, I wanted to see her learn how to be a human and form connections with other humans. There was a boy I think she almost had a relationship with, but decided she couldn't change enough to belong with them. It was this whole book of feral children, and none of them, not even the one who had succeeded the most, was able to succeed. I wanted her to succeed." Dark explained, recognizing for the first time why he remembered the book and why the ending frustrated so much. "I think they should have assigned me a different book to learn on."

"Good. I'm glad we went. Maybe they'll have a small souvenir shop when we're back on shore, so you could get something to remember it," Daiz suggested, "and maybe we could get Ivy a little dolphin."
 
"Wow. That sounds like a really sucky book with all sorts of morals about failing and never being able to be better than what you are," Xander said blandly. "At least dolphins are cool. That's all I gotta say on that."

"Yes! I want to get a necklace," Alec agreed happily.
 
"I later learned it is realistic for the experiences of feral children--children who grew up with little to no interactions with other humans, not necessarily raised by animals--because if you miss the point in your life when you can learn language, you simply cannot develop it, but I think I, who was not a feral child, would have been better served by something with more hope at the end than a slow regression." Dark remarked, wondering how accurate his memory of the book was. "I doubt they considered it when they assigned it to me."

Daizi grinned, and after hearing the crowd dissipate, moved closer to the ship's railing, "I'm certain they'll have a necklace for you."

Dolphins having been spotted, the ship sailed a little while longer, in case any more were spotted, but then returned to shore, the excursion completed and successful.
 
Alec expressed disappointment that the excursion was over, but Xander was ready to be done and away from the people. Too crowded! Still, he had fun, and he was looking forward to seeing what kind of pictures Dark may have gotten. They spotted a gift shop not far from where they were let off from the tour, but it seemed every other tourist on the boat spotted it, too, so the twins hung back. Alec, especially, wanted in, but there wasn't much "in" to stand in. So, rather than fight through swinging elbows and oversized bags, he stayed back with Xander and watched. It looked a lot like a bunch of seagulls fighting over scraps. But with more fake-grass woven beach bags. Since they were standing there, they decided to be productive and helped each other top off their sunscreen.

A small covered pavilion nearby had a small, possibly local band. A singer/guitarist, a drummer, and a keyboardist. The beat wasn't bad, mostly pop-style and beachy songs. Unfortunately, the singer wasn't always on key and tended to warble a couple of keys. Xander's back was to the group, so he allowed himself a few winces and faces, but he did try to keep it under control. Alec, facing the band, tried his best to maintain a neutral expression, but when the singer hit a particularly high-pitched, sour note, he couldn't help a wince as it felt like the note was digging into his brain. Xander muttered a curse and flinched.

The singer stopped his playing and glared over the heads of the small - maybe ten - people actually standing close to the stage at Alec. "Hey! You! Hey! You got a problem? Do ya? With my singing?" Behind him, his bandmembers fell off in a cacophony of noise before coming to a complete stop. They looked pained.

Alec swallowed hard and held up his hands apologetically as Xander turned around to face the stage. "I'm sorry, really sorry. I think the microphone squeaked weird. I didn't mean to offend."

"What, you think you can do better? You wanna get up here and sing?" the singer challenged.

"No, no, no," Alec hastily tried to apologize. "You're doing fine! I don't want to do anything like that. I'm sorry. No offense was intended."

The singer snorted. "I bet you didn't, ya limp-wristed ******."

Xander scowled and stepped forward. "Hey! He apologized, and you come back with personal sh**?"

Alec caught his arm. "No, don't," he warned quietly. "Not now. The day's too nice for this."

Xander growled like a bulldog but let Alec pull him away while the singer laughed. "That jerk."

"Yeah, but who's lost more to his little temper-tantrum? Him or us?" Alec pointed out with an amused smile as the crowd let out a few boos as they drifted away. "Come on. Let's see if we can fit in the gift shop yet."
 
The poor performance of the band grated on Daizi, who was wondering whose nephew this singer was, because although he wasn't the worst singer she had ever heard, his talent and skill by no means necessitated this venue. Still, despite her agitation at the way this apparent grown man spoke to her children, she also stepped up to call Xander off, not wanting this to escalate into something obscene. "You could do better, by the way," she murmured to Alec as they headed to the shop.

Dark had been standing off to the side when the singer called out Alec, having just come back from changing Ivy's diaper, and he grit his teeth before rolling his shoulders back and rejoining his family. He looked up and down the small shop before handing the diaper bag and Ivy off, "You all enjoy it, I think I am going to see if I can find popsicles or something for us."
 
Alec smiled at Daizi, pleased at her assessment. The singer's words didn't hurt as much as they might have even just a few months ago. They still stung, but mostly because of their aggressive nature, not so much what they said. Daizi's words took away what sting remained. "Thank you, Mama. May I guide you in the store?"

Xander grumbled and growled quietly for a bit but took the diaper bag and tried to simmer down. Alec was right. This was a nice day. There was no point in letting some... jerk take away the happy bits. So, he clamped the diaper bag under his arm and tried to look ahead to the gift shop. Most of the people who'd gone in before them were either leaving or standing in line to check out, meaning there was now room to maneuver. "I see hanging, dangling things. I bet there's some necklaces."

Up on the stage, things weren't going well for the singer. The boos and hisses hadn't stopped despite his attempt to get the song going again. He yanked his guitar off and tossed it onto the stage. Shockingly, the guitar didn't break, but there was definitely going to be some scratches. He turned and stormed off the stage, stalking off angrily until he found a shady spot to sulk.

The keyboardist exchanged awkward glances with the drummer before stepping up to the microphone and saying to the seven or eight people left, "I guess we're taking a break. We'll be back with more live music... uh... later. Thanks." He picked up the guitar and retreated to his keys.
 
Daizi put Ivy into her stroller, so she couldn't grab at anything breakable, and then asked one of the twins to push her so she didn't need to use her like a battering ram. "Of course you may," she answered Alec, taking his arm. "I'm hoping there's a stuffed Dolphin with sewn on eyes I can get for Ivy, I think she'd like it. She likes soft stuff like that."

Meanwhile, Dark strode across the beach casually, one hand in his pocket, his sunglasses tucked into the v of his shirt. Upon spotting the singer storm off, he sucked on his teeth as he made a decision.
Just out of sight of the crowd, blocked his path, "Hello, Sir?"
 
Xander took the stroller, not quite sure how he ended up with both the stroller and the diaper bag but accepted his fate without complaint. It meant that he got to use Ivy as a battering ram. Not that he would, but it was technically an option. He'd make sure her feet were tucked out of the way first.

The singer jumped a little and spun around. "Yeah? What do-" he stopped short when he realized he was staring at Dark's chest. He tipped his head up. "You want, sir?" he asked in a tone that was just a hair calmer but still irritated.
 
Daizi went wherever Alec led, interacting with things here or there. Tourist shops like this didn't generally interest her, but sometimes they had neat things, and she wanted Alec to find the perfect necklace.

"Only to say that I am a very big fan." Dark replied, curling his mouth into a smile which failed to reach his eyes. Extending his hand, he asked, "I just had a question about your process."
 
Alec found the selection of necklaces and excitedly described them to Daizi as well as guided her hand so she could feel the ones he particularly liked. Xander wasn't really into necklaces, and of course they were in an awkward corner, so he, Ivy, and the stroller stayed in the wider aisle in front of racks of clothing, bags, and other tacky apparel.

"My, uh, process?" the singer asked, confused. He hesitated a moment before accepting Dark's hand. He was in a (kind of) public space with a fan. What could go wrong? "Oh, yeah! It's great to meet a fan. It's a pretty intense process, to be real."
 
After a few moments of Xander waiting there, an older woman in a tacky bright pink t-shirt that read I never dreamed I'd grow up to be a crazy grandma, but here I am, crushing it in a frankly nauseating number of fonts came up to him, carrying with her the scent of an entire perfume counter and a big, friendly smile, "Well my goodness!" She declared, without a hint of irony, "Aren't you such a stand-up young man!"

Dark shook the singer's hand a bit too tightly, "I can only imagine so." He let go, allowing himself to lean in a bit, "And, tell me, since, after all, I am such a fan, does your process always involve yelling insults at teenagers? Or are you trying something new." A light flickered in the unreadable depths of his eyes.
 
Xander blinked, his face completely blank as his brain tried to comprehend what he was seeing and smelling. It took him a second to get his mouth moving. "Uh. Thank you?" he said uncertainly, shifting Ivy so she was just a little closer to him. He didn't think anything was going to happen, but she was his responsibility.

The singer winced. "That's, uh, quite a grip you got there," he wheezed. His eyes grew wide as Dark leaned in, and he leaned back, instinctively trying to pull his hand free. "Hey, man, I don't tolerate hecklers!" he tried to bluster, the fear evident in his eyes even as he scowled at Dark. "What is this?"
 
"Do you know," The woman said genially, "There aren't many boys who would do what you're doing. Your parents must be very proud of you.'

Dark let go, holding the hand he had shook the singer's with up, showing compliance, "Hecklers, yes, my apologies. Nothing is more distracting than a child making a face, yes? Your method was much smoother than not addressing it." He looked directly into the singer's eyes, "It is really easy to be a big man up on a stage, ruining your own set to scream at a child. How big are you now?"
 
What was happening? Was this a prank? No, she was way too sincere for this to be a prank. Then how were people supposed to respond to this? "I think they are," Xander said slowly, still caught between suspicion, confusion, and a warm feeling of pleasure at being complimented.

The singer, now pale and fighting to keep from shaking, tried to glare up at Dark. "I'll call s-security!" he gasped, his voice squeaking a bit. "How dare you th-threaten me!"
 
"Your baby is adorable," The older woman said, bending down to get a better look at Ivy, but was respectful enough not to even try to touch, "She must take after her mother." She stood again, "I cannot tell you how few fathers your age I've seen who aren't just in the picture but actually take an active role in their child's life. I know it's not easy, but you're doing the right thing."

"Threatening you? No, I am not threatening you." Dark said, backing off but not breaking eye contact, "I am only advising you: do not speak to my children like that again. Or, anyone's children. That would be better." He turned, putting his hand back in his pocket as he began to walk away, but then he paused, looked over his shoulder and said, "By the way, if I could give you a second piece of advice, as your biggest fan: invest in singing lessons." Then, he strode off, as easily as he came.
 
Xander turned bright red. "Huh? Uh, no. I mean uh... Respectfully, lady, you've got the wrong idea. This is my little sister. My brother and mother are right over there." He indicated vaguely.

The singer stood gasping and whimpering for a bit before scurrying away like a cockroach.
 
"Oh!" The woman laughed, only mildly embarrassed at her own mistake, "I'm sorry! Well, in that case, you must be a very dedicated older brother! Gosh, my kids always tell me, 'Mom, you have to stop making assumptions.' Won't they laugh when I tell them!" She looked over her should at the other red head and the woman, and then looked back at Ivy, "You tell your mom she's got a very cute baby. And you have a nice day, young man, I should be getting back to my own grand babies!" Cheerfully, then, the older woman walked off, the smell of the perfume counter following after her.

At around that time, Dark came into the shop, satisfied the situation had been sufficiently dealt with. Pushing his hair back, he spied Xander and Ivy, and walked over to them, passing the old woman on his way. She didn't speak to him, but immediately recognizing this, clearly, was the baby's father, she glanced back at Xander, winked to show she understood, and rejoined her own family.
 
Xander caught the wink and couldn't help a slight smile, amused by the woman as confounded as he was by hlthe conversation. He glanced up at Dark. "Hey. Apparently, I'm a great dad, qnd this is my kid. Where's the pupcicles?"
 
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